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Rusty and Dusty
Trouble on the High Seas Salty vapour sprayed up over Julian's face as tall ocean waves crashed into the rocks below. It felt good under the hot sun, but there wasn't time to enjoy such trivial pleasantries. Merely meters away, was the dock, where a small ship, for two princes, awaited. Julian let out a small cuss as he headed up away from the rocks, and towards the ship. "Your highness!" a man called out, running up towards Julian. One of his servants, as Julian recalled. "I've brought you your drink." he said, handing Julian a cup. Julian yanked the cup, taking a sip, Immediately spitting it out, and onto the man. Julian threw the glass cup at the man's face, shattering it and causing the man to bleed. Julian took out his cigar and jabbed the burning end of the cigar into the mans face. A horrific scream filled the air, yet Julian didn't care. He simply threw his cigar away. "Look what you've made me do. Waste a perfectly good cigar." Julian spat. "Next time, bring me a better drink." Julian finished, kicking the man away, allowing him to run away from him. The ocean's paint also collided with Akuji's body. As the spray collided with his face, he simultaneously squinted his eyes and removed his own cigar to lick his lips then taste it. It was said that if you drank the ocean's water, you'd get addicted to the salt and ultimately die, but he figured such a small bit wouldn't hurt. As the servant came, he rolled his eyes. The man had only brought one cup and seconds later he found that it was for Julian. The man didn't seem to think that he was thirsty. Something that a prince with as much as authority as they had needed to learn self control growing up or they'd let the power go to their head, was a common thought that echoed through his head when he wanted to do things out of irritation. This same thought came to mind when his brother spit the drink on the man and attacked. Akuji wished to intervene but his mother would have a word with him about "picking servants over his siblings". As the now injured man ran away in a very unbalanced manner, Akuji removed his cigar from his mouth and blew out its smoke. He then turned his head to his brother beside him. "Was that necessary?" He asked before shaking his head, putting the cigar back in his mouth and stepping onto the boat, obviously not waiting for an answer. "Of course it was." Julian replied, making his way onto the ship, the servants taking his coat. "Servants should know what I want. They can't be as stupid as you, can they Akuji?" Julian asked, taunting his younger brother. Julian sat down on a large chair, almost resembling a throne. A second one was beside him, identical in nature, which would be where Akuji was meant to sit. A servant hastily ran up behind Julian's chair, hanging the coat on the back. Julian reached into the coat, pulling out his packet of cigars as well as his lighter. He pulled out a cigar, placing it into his mouth and lit it, placing the packet and lighter back into his coat. Now that his brother would be onboard, he barked out orders. "Bring my brother and I some quality drinks. And set sail as soon as possible." Akuji dropped his favorite book onto the floor of the deck, next to his chair. It wouldn't be needed for a simple sail but he brought it with him everywhere just in case he became bored. He sat and merely chuckled at his brother's remark. Staring off into the distance, he could see one of Dressrosa's several islands, the one where he usually made sneaks to visit a certain lover of his. A slight smile came to his face but he caused it to fade into nothing quickly to prevent anyone noticing. As a female servant stopped to listen to his orders, he smiled at her and when his brother finished speaking he leaned in towards her and he remarked, "Darlin, the drinks won't be good enough for him until he spits into the keg." He said, managing a grin as the girl covered her mouth to laugh quietly. Julian sighed, staring at the girl. He recognized her. A few nights ago...Julian cast those thoughts aside, and slapped his brother on the head. "I heard that, fool." he spat, waiting for his rum. The girl returned, and handed Julian his glass of rum, and she proceeded to hand Akuji his. Julian turned to the girl, handing her his drink after he had finished, and he asked for another. As she returned with another glass, Julian took it, and chugged it down, handing the glass to the girl. Julian stood, snuffing out his cigar on the ashtray. Cracking his knuckles, smirking as he made his way to the front of the ship, where the captain was. "Set sail. I want to travel outside the borders of Dressrosa. See the world outside of this Kingdom of my mothers." he ordered, heading back to his throne, and taking his seat. Akuji chuckled quietly. When the servant girl brought his glass, he examined the clear liquid to determine if it was water or some alcoholic beverage. Upon sipping it he found it to be water which was most likely brought aboard just for him. After several more sips, he sat it down on the small table next to his throne. Akuji was many things. Reclusive, humorous, observant, even charming, but he was not a drinker. Once when he'd gotten drunk he'd nearly destroyed a large chunk of the kingdom and since then he's strayed away from it. Julian was not a quiet man and thus he could hear him giving orders to the captain. As his brother sat back down, he picked his glass up from his coaster he decided to ask. "So.. where are we headed?" The prince asked. The two hadn't exactly planned this out. They both just wanted to get away from the kingdom for several hours after being bored of seeing the same things every day. After he asked, the servant girl returned with a pitcher of water to refill his glass. "We're heading outside the borders of Dressrosa." Julian replied, taking another swig of his rum. Akuji had always been a quiet one, only talking when spoken to...an interesting sibling to say the very least. "Maybe the borders will be as interesting as a day in the Coliseum." "Let's hope so." The younger brother said before sipping his beverage once more. He slouched in his throne and leaned to the right of it, using his right arm as a means of support to his head. His gray eyes began to scatter the bare waters. He truly did not see why pirates felt that riding the waves was so exciting. Now that their ship was outside the borders of Dressrosa, Julian let out a laugh. The currents were wild, and Julian loved it. The waves crashed into the hull of the ship, and salty vapour crashed against Julian's face. Julian looked by the sides of the ship, noticing another ship, not too far away. Julian grinned, and went up to the captain. "Do you see that ship there?" he asked. "Aye, sir." the captain replied. "Attack it." "Are you sure?" the captain asked. Aggravated, Julian yelled. "If I said it, I'm sure!" The captain swallowed, nodding. "Yes sir." the man said. The captain turned to one of his men, telling him to take aim at the other ship. The man, obviously afraid, went up to one of the cannons, loaded it, and fired. Legs looked over the edge of her ship, resting her frame against the wooden railings that had been provided. She had regretted not taking the Justice, instead opting for a much smaller ship in comparison to avoid attracting attention. Though, in doing so, she sacrificed comfort for safety, or so she thought. Suddenly, during her thoughts, her senses drew her to an upcoming cannonball that shot from another ship nearby. Was it another Yonko’s ship? Or was it a bunch of unfortunate idiots? Legs sighed as she stood up, her very stance assuring to the rest of the crew that she would take responsibility for the assault. She groggily leaped towards the Cannonball, meeting it among the edge of the ship. Extending her hand, the metallic ball slammed against it, though, in being introduced to a force much higher than its own, it stopped in its track. “I’ll take care of them. You just stay nearby,” Legs informed casually, rethrowing the cannonball on her own towards the enemy. The ball surged with remarkable precision, the centrifugal force of it forcing up waves around it, splitting the ocean that it travelled against as it sought to destroy the enemy’s ship. On the ocean floor, Legs walked casually as the tides remained split in her favor, she getting ever closer to the fools that dared to challenge her. The initial thunderous sound that echoed across the seas awakened Akuji from a light sleep he'd dozed into. It took the man a moment to come to his senses and analyze everything that had happened. They'd fired at another ship. He became irritated at his brother's abuse of power. "Julian, what...the-" His sentence was cut short as an sound near equivalent in volume to the former rang out in the distance, much like a cannon ball colliding with the surface of a brick wall. His eyes glanced into the direction that the formerly fired cannon was facing. A black sphere that he only moments later identified as a cannonball was headed their way. The sound was not a cannon being fired but it had been the sound of a projectile slicing through the air. "Julian it seems as you are the stupid one." The young prince said jumping up from his chair, glass of water in hand. He stood at the edge of the ship took one last gulp of his water, drinking the remains. After tossing the glass into the depths of the ocean, Akuji stood in place as firm as possible. The speeding cannonball did not reduce one bit. Akuji's right hand dropped to his side and he he wondered if anyone noticed the change of color to black that his hand underwent. Behind him, he could hear several servants speak of how terrified they were. At the very last moment of which the cannon had reached the a couple feet of him, he swiftly pulled back and then launched his fist forward onto the cannonball, punching it. The cannonball stopped in its tracks. The seconds after him punching it were silent as the man stood with his fist still against it. Akuji could hear the incoming footsteps of the woman across the divided waters. Moments later the black and smooth ball shattered into pieces, cracking with a sound that was similar to an egg hatching. The prince drew his arm back to his side and then slid it into his pocket, wrapping his hand around the base of several sharp object and slightly turning his head to grin at his brother. "Heh." Julian smiled, a large grin manifesting on his face. "That's fun." he stated, his foolish grin not leaving his face. Deciding to ignore his premature brother's statement, Julian stared at the strange lady walking through divided waters. "Akuji? Do you see that...thing?" Julian asked, obviously confused. Julian saw the lady, she was rather tall, with an aura of power. Suddenly, it clicked. "It's that Yonko!" he yelled, strangely excited. Julian turned to Akuji, smiling. "I guess Lady Fortune is favouring us today, by gracing us to meet such an adversary!" he yelled, obviously excited. WIthout waiting for a response, Julian ran up to a cannon, firing another sphere of lead at the Yonko. The lead that slammed against her body collapsed to pieces around her. The last thing that they saw before the torrents of water plummeted back into their positions was Legs dusting herself off, a complacent smirk occupying her visage flickering from existence. “You’ve determined who I was, and you yet still decide to face me?” Legs inquired curiously, her voice emanating from behind them. The crew members jumped in defense, prepping themselves for the possible assault that Legs had prepared to unleash, yet, in the same instance, a shockwave of willpower rocked the seas itself, erecting waves with its entrance, and knocking those of a lower mental plane simply unconscious, leaving just her and the two brothers. “What’s the deal? Who are you foolish boys?” Akuji stood and watched as the cannonball collided with the woman and she took the attack like it was absolutely nothing. Julian should have figured that'd be ineffective after she grabbed our last cannonball and threw it back. He thought. I could do that with the Busoshoku Haki, quite easily actually. The younger prince thought, not giving up on his own abilities. After the woman disappeared, he immediately activated the Kenbunshoku Haki and afterwards sensed her behind them. He grew slightly shocked as he witnessed the ship's crew members fall unconscious but only moments later recognized the ability. Haoshoku Haki.. "I had no initial knowledge of who you were but I presume that you expected us to cower in fear upon learning?" He said after turning around to face the woman. "I am Akuji and this is my brother, Julian." “I expected you not to fire again, child,” Legs scoffed. She folded her arms visually manifesting her displeasure. Her eyes fell upon Julian. “Of course, I’m going to need some retribution for wasting my time with this tomfoolery.” She glanced at the fallen soldiers aboard their ships. “Hmm, I could use a few extra men to help man my ships, and I could also use whatever cargo you’re carrying on this vessel as well. In fact, just give me the entire ship, and you guys take rafts or smaller vessels. Though, leave seventy percent of your men to me.” Her eyes returned to the brothers, imbued with a sternness befitting a Queen. “The deal is non-negotiable by the way.” Julian casually smiled, a sight not often seen. "Everything is negotiable!" Julian explained, his grinning leaving his face. "We need this ship to get home, although your thick ego maybe preventing that fact from registering in your mind." Julian stated nonchalantly. "So," Julian began. "Why don't you hop on board, drink a bit, and we head or separate ways?" Akuji simply nodded in agreement while his brother talked but then spoke immediately after Julian. "Or you could just leave or perhaps even surrender your ship. Though I presume you're not fond of that second idea." He said, shrugging during the first sentence. His hand remained within his pocket just as before. The prince knew that it was unintelligent to taunt such a respected and feared pirate but he absolutely could not be treated as some push over. “You’re talking about my thick ego?” Legs inquired, her tone expressing her thoughts on the irony of the situation. “You boys attacked a random ship, for no apparent reason, recognized who I was, and then fired again just for the hell of it. Yet, you have the nerve to talk about MY ego?” She shook her head. “You children must be nobility. That’s the only explanation for this,” Legs said, closing her eyes and pinching her nose, and exhaling deeply. “You, child,” she said, pointing towards Akuji. “What kingdom do you belong to? Who are your parents? So I can determine your worth before I kill your brother.” "My mother is Niu, Queen of Dressrosa. But I do not believe that matters with the slightest bit." Akuji said but continued, "No one here will die today. Excuse my brother's impulsiveness and insolence. " The younger prince said lastly glancing at his brother before shifting his eyes back to the Yonko. "So," He added. "How about you go back to your ship, and my brother and I continue this day as if this never happened?" He spoke. "Can't do that," Legs stated carelessly. "You children attacked me for no reason. And being a mother myself, I can't let you boys keep doing stupid shit like this. No no, this won't do." Legs put her hands in the air, signaling a command to her ship. "Alright then, let's wake up your navigator and head home. I'm taking you boys back to your mother. So, let's get ready to go." Julian let out a sigh of exasperation. "Fine, you can take us home. Mother would want that...I think. You're lucky, Yonko. My brother and I won't embarrass you in front of your crew." He stated, heading to his chair, signalling for his younger brother to follow suit. Legs chuckled hysterically. “Oh, no. You boys don’t get a seat,” she informed, pointing her index finger from her chair. Within seconds, what seemed to be a spear of some sort emerged from her being, a shockwave emanating from the tips of her fingers as it was released onto the world. When it struck the chairs that rested upon the deck of the ship, it tore through them completely, leaving pieces as the remains. “Nope, you children obviously don’t know how to act in front of an elder. Until you learn your lesson, you boys will be standing in that corner over there. One Leg up, and noses to the wall,” Legs announced carelessly. She walked over to the navigator, and picked him up with her arm, shaking him to life. “You,” she begun, holding him before her massive face. “You’re gonna take us to Dressrosa immediately. Otherwise, I’ll kill the rest of your crew? Got it? Good.” Legs didn’t wait for a response before tossing him towards the wheel. “Now, boys, remember. Nose to the wall, one leg up. Go!" Akuji did not budge. He stood with his arms fold and a smirk could be seen along the lines of his lips. Julian can be her slave, I will not. The prince thought. "Cold day in hell." He said, replying to her orders and still smirking. Legs nodded her head. “Oh okay.” She faced Julian. “And you? Will you do as I commanded or are you going to be as obedient as your brother? It’s sort of just a question I want to ask before I um….well, before I kick his ass and glue him to that corner myself.” Julian shook his head, smirking that his brother had the guts to defy the Yonko. "We will get seats, Legs. You may be a Yonko, but we are royal prince's. We don't stand in corners. I fear no one, not even someone of your position." Julian stated, maintaing his smirk. “Oh, quite lovely actually,” Legs started. “I’m going to ask you children to reconsider once more, before I have to really hurt you…Actually, nevermind. I’m just going to have to take those guts you boys seem to treasure so much.” Close Encounter Legs stomach puffed up, and within seconds following, gust of purple smog leaped from her tongue, encapsulating the entirety of her body within moments, and reaching out to clench the rest of the ship. The man who had been unfortunate to have been passed out before her feet, he shot up in pain as his body blackened, and then, enveloped in the smog of venom, dissipated into simply nothing. Legs only hoped they were prepared for the ever-growing storm that brewed upon the decks of their ship. Akuji did not know how know Julian would evade, however he figured that his big brother could take care of himself. Akuji used his Devil Fruit's abilities to create hundreds of thousands , if not millions of microscopic sized cubes on the surface of his skin to provide as a defense. Upon the gas coming into contact with him, it would reduce it to sizes so small that they'd hadn't been named. This would only make the gas disappear upon coming into contact with him. This granted him an appearance that matched that of a cloak to cover his entire body. He then decided to go on the offensive. Akuji fired a mass amount of fire into the the area where Leg's was last seen, hoping to if not kill or injure her, cause her to retreat. Gas, eh? Julian questioned within his mind. However, he did not panic. Panicking would render him with an unsteady mind. He analyzed the situation. The gas was getting nearer every second. Julian was on his ship. His ship had two floors. Julian had devised his plan. He rusted the wood beneath him, creating a hole for him to fall into. Now he was on the base floor, and he proceeded to 'unrustify' the floor above, closing the hole, allowing Julian to avoid the gas. White flames ate through Legs black plague that ripped across the deck, tearing away at flesh, wood, anything that had been organic at one point in time until nothing remained. The very floors beneath her found themselves weakening under the strain of her venoms, and the crackling that occurred made such situation evident to all that rested upon the top of the sailboat. The flames collided with her poison mist, tearing away a path as its holy light rebuked the evil. In the heat of battle, Legs cared not for the prospect of death in the slightest. The thrill of it, the adrenaline, it was all far too comforting; a devilish smirk crept onto her visage, and her eyes turned a horrid red hue, resembling fires from the deepest depths of hell. She spread her arms arrogantly, welcoming the flames of destruction as they encapsulated her being. Her exoskeleton, though thick, fought valiantly against the assault, yet, there was only a matter of time before it was gone, and her figure was exposed. Though, as a piece of exoskeleton was ripped into nothingness, another was somehow sutured back in its place. A thick blood, encouraged by adrenaline, pumped through the very core of Legs biceps, empowering her motions. She rocketed towards Akuji, leaving a tsunami of flames in her own wake as she glided across the wood of the ship itself. Half of the ship was sent flying backwards by the force, and the rest that remained, or had been fortunate enough to have been spared from the initial shockwave, was cloaked in fire. Legs extended her arms outwards, leaping to grab the very face of Akuji, and to slam him into the deck of the ship. Akuji felt better after he sensed his brother fall through the floor and into the lower deck. He usually was not one to worry but truth be told this woman was unlike any of the warriors at the arenas of his Kingdom. While anyone could see the obvious difference in height and weight between he and the Yonko, they could also see that he would not back down to her. The fifth eldest prince of Dressrosa was a man whom did not hate authority; he just hated being directly told what to do. It was bad enough that he had to listen to his mother on a near daily basis and he would not listen to a stranger. In honest truth, if Akuji had not been filled with adrenaline from knowing that he was fighting a Yonko, he'd perhaps be afraid of his woman. As the hand came his way, he could do nothing but go on the defensive. It was a tactic that most men would not have used in this situation but it worked for him once against a bigger gladiator while trying to remain undefeated. Akuji was a strong man but when he was angry, there was a burst of newfound strength and speed that not even himself could give an explanation for. "Surprising." Was all he could say as the woman leaped through the flames. Now surrounded by fire, he thought of Julian underneath them. He couldn't let him be hit with the attack. As the woman's rather large hand came towards his face, it was interrupted by his own hand pressing against hers. Thinking that she'd predict an attack from his free hand coming, he leaped his head backwards and then launched it forward at her with much force. One of the princes of Dressrosa had just headbutted a Yonko. Akuji just head-butted a Yonko? As his face slammed against Legs’ exoskeleton, the sheer surprise that accompanied the blow forced Legs to withdraw herself from Akuji’s vicinity. “That was a interesting tactic you had there, kid,” Legs complimented. The wood around them collapsed as the ship barely managed to continue floating on the seas. “But, I’ll have you know, this ship is about to go down, and I won’t be here when it does. Plus, your brother is still down there at the bottom of the ship too, so I’ll have to go and get him.” Akuji listened intently, though, his consciousness faded. He stumbled onto the deck, his palms slamming against the wood. “I’m just asking you nicely to take a nap, Akuji,” Legs voiced faded from afar. “We’ll be home soon.” Welcome to Dressrosa “So then, no offense to your children King Niu, they did something very stupid. Not only did he recognize me as I approached their ship, he then thought he was an even better idea to shoot another cannonball, after I had caught the first one and thrown it back,” Legs sighed as she sipped her cup of tea. “Pretty much after that, I determined that they must have been the children of nobility, particularly someone powerful to be so dumb and reckless. Children these days really don’t understand the world. They think, Oh, mommy is important which means I can do whatever I want and mommy will take care of it,” Legs continued complain, her voice taking on one completely unfamiliar to Niu. The confusion on Niu’s face made clear to Legs that she had slipped into one of her rants. “Sorry, King Niu.” She apologized quickly, crossing her right leg against the other as she sat. “It’s just that I have children as well, who sometimes do the same stupid, and please excuse me language, shit. I actually have no idea where my son is, but if I know Kuroshio, he’s doing something very dumb now.” Legs exhaled a gust of air, finally having relaxed after getting all of her complaints off her chest. “I apologize for ranting to you, even after we’ve just met, but, there are few powerful women in this world. There are even less powerful women with children, so, I rarely ever get to have a conversation with someone who shares my experiences in those regards. So, I thank you for being kind enough to invite me into your castle, share your foods, and not have me executed for bringing your sons back unconscious,” Legs graciously expressed. "Though, it's been several days since that incident, and I've steadily made sure they remain sleep using non-lethal methods. They should be waking up within minutes, so you'll have your time to deal with them as well." Niu calmly sipped from her tea, placing it down. She gestured to her servants who arrived with beverages "Drink, Miss Legs." Niu offered Legs a drink "We have a variety of beverages for your choosing. Wine. Water. Milk. Anything your heart desires. You may try our special Dressrosian wine." Niu said, as one servant walked forward, with a pink glass bottle "They call it Flower Petal. An unappealing name, but I did not name it myself, unfortunately.". Resting her arms on the table, elbows, with her head on the back of her hands, Niu stared at Legs before continuing "When they awake, I will deal with them accordingly. Until then, make yourself at home. You are a guest and this is the least I can do for the trouble these boys caused you.". “You have my thanks,” Legs said, taking the glass of wine. “But, there is no need to be so formal around me. Please, call me Daddy.” "Hm. An interesting name, no doubt." Quipped back "Well, Daddy, do tell me what you require. You haven't told me of your ventures, but I assume sailors of your calibre would require soe equipment for the journey." Niu said, resting her arms on her chair's arm rests "You are a sailor, correct.". Legs giggled. “King Niu, please, I was just kidding. Feel free to refer to me by my first name, Legs.” There was an aura of sternness that surrounded Niu that Legs had recognized in monarchy. “The ship I arrived her on is pretty broken up; it was a ship that I stole from another pirating organization. I’ve already called for another ship to arrive, but it won’t for another three days or so. We won’t need anything once it gets here, but, we also, currently, don’t have a place to stay. If you’d be willing to direct me and personnel to the best hotel that Dressrosa can offer, we would greatly appreciate it.” Legs eyes lit up. “Oh, and the best restaurants here as well. I need to have a steady supply of good food, haha!” "Certaintly." Niu snapped her fingers, commanding the servants in the room "I'll have a list compiled for whatever you need. The rest of you, leave us in privacy." As Niu ordered the servants to leave the room, closing the door behind them, leaving Niu and Legs alone at the dinner table "Legs." Niu said "Daddy L. Legs." She leaned back against her cheer, placing one leg over the other, with her hands on her lap "I never expected someone as high profile as the Yonko, the Black Widow, to be in my country, much less these castle walls." Casually, Niu addressed Legs by her more known, infamous name. "I'm not sure if my sons were blind or ignorant, but you would think they at least read the newspaper. It has fascinating tales of the everyday world. The fisherman who caught a shark of pure gold. The new amusement park island that opened in Paradise. The ship of entertainment parading around the Grand Line. The child of a Marine who was kidnapped and held ransom. Still no updates on the latter either." Her tone and expression remained unhinged. A calm, casual tone, void of emotions, and her body reflected that just as well. Niu did not twitch or move at all as she spoke to the Yonko "And, of course, Elbaf. What a joke it was. A whore, a dead man, and some other clowns having some twisted form of festivities. With explosives." One would detect mockery in her words if her voice conveyed it "Fret not, Legs. I do not intend on calling the Marines. I do not intend on telling anyone in fact. This never leaves these walls. I am intrigued. Fascinated, even.". Niu grabbed a nearby bottle of wine, taking the cap off, pouring herself a glass before taking a sip "Hm. Apologies. This isn't Dressrosa's trademark wine. I fear this is just regular wine from the cellar." She said "One of the servants made a mistake.". “Those newspapers are often hogwash; instruments to be used to spread the World Government’s propaganda,” Legs informed. “At every turn, they try to find new ways to condemn me, to make my justice seem opposite of what it truly is.” She paused between her sentence, pouring herself a cup of the wine and taking a sip. “Still delicious by the way,” Legs interjected. “Anyway, Elbaf was truly not what the newspaper made it seem. Veno, myself, even that foolish prince, Redbeard, had nothing to do with the events that occurred there. Truly, of what reason would I have to destroy Elbaf? When, I, in fact, have officially made allies with current Queen. Why would I weaken my own allies, my own military? The World Government brews false truths from, and please excuse my language, horseshit.” Legs took another sip of her wine. “No, there was another culprit present on the island. One the World Government refuses to acknowledge, because it would simply make them look tremendously poor. Afterall, Salazar managed to escape the clutches of Kurama, though, a portion of his victory is because of myself. I still can’t believe I arrived just in time to spare his life.” Legs spoke with no hesitation, intending to inform Niu of the truths behind the matters of Elbaf. She was trustworthy; or at least, since she was letting Legs stay within her country, she wanted to demonstrated that she, herself, despite her infamous reputation, could be trusted. “No, the true culprit was Blacklist—the racial supremacist organization, and the war priest Bathory McGhinnis was directly involved on the assault on Elbaf. Through the combined efforts of both myself and Admiral Fuyuki, we managed to protect a great deal of citizens, though, there were simply those who were too close to the explosions before we could realize what occurred. Regardless, that bullshit about Fuyuki freezing time and all, simply stupid. I don’t doubt his potential as an Admiral, but freezing time is quite farfetched, wouldn’t you agree?" "Hm. Clowns. All of them." Niu bluntly stated "Pirates, Marines. Yonko, Admiral. And what came out of that, I wonder. And now, an organization that belittles ones of a different species. Do they prosecute the fishman, the mink, or does that extend to every species not labeled human." The King of Dressrosa seemed much less worried, or concerned, about Elbaf's "truth", as she did of the short-comings she noticed "An Admiral, and a Yonko met, but did not clash." She said, pointing out one oddity in the story "You would think an Admiral would prioritize - no - would be ready to sacrifice the lives of hundreds, thousands innocents and evils, just to rid the world of a Yonko.". “I would have imagined the same,” Legs agreed. “Any other Admiral would have sent Elbaf plummeting into the depths of the sea to try and rid the World of myself. Of course, If they tried, they would have met the fuel force of my own fury and wrath, and honestly, I don’t think the others beside Kurama could have stopped me. Fuyuki, however, he’s different. He’s perhaps the strongest logia user in the world, and while I doubt his time freezing capabilities, I don’t doubt that he could have stopped the onslaught only if he had been willing.” Legs smiled as she sipped her wine. “But, do you know why Fuyuki, despite all his magnificent and limitless power refused to stop me? The Admiral is compassionate, perhaps the most compassionate person in the world. That is why he failed at Elbaf, not because his powers are ultimately limited in scope, but because his mind is soft. The boy fears his strength, and that propelled him further than anyone else to master his powers, but it also psychologically restrains himself from manifesting them, out of fear that he’ll hurt another creature,” Legs spoke with confidence. “Because the battle between him and I may have destroyed Elbaf entirely, Fuyuki and I made a deal to refrain from fighting one another. I believe he would have left Veno alone as well had he been on the island, but he had the unfortunate incident of being several miles away from Elbaf,” Legs chuckled, finding the entire situation amusing as she remembered the details. “If I ever had to fight Fuyuki, I would make sure it’s in a populated area. It would prevent him from going all out, and I’d hopefully have that advantage. To save a friend, or a stranger, Fuyuki would sacrifice the world. That is Fuyuki’s fatal flaw.” "Pitiful." Niu harshly replied with her typical honesty "He should toss away those Admiral robes while he's ahead. A man of his rank will waste his time, the lives of others, and the time of his superiors trying to maintain this childish dream of being a saviour." Without missing a beat, Niu stood up, her hands behind her back "But, I suppose the World Government has grown a bit more nostalgic for the old days. Perhaps they want to reclaim lost glory, or raise morale for the naive newcomers. I'm not one to know how their mind works.". She cleared her throat before continuing "Let us head to the throne room. I expect Akuji and Julian to be up now, and I require you to be present." Niu said, exiting the dinner room "Feel free to eat and drink as much as you like, but I expect to see you at the throne room soon. I'll send over someone to lead you.". ---- "Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Julian yelled within his mind. He was back home, and he distinctly remembered seeing Legs. That meant that she told his mother about their...scuffle. Julian could still remember his over confident behaviour when he stupidly challenged Legs. After he had sinkholed his way through the ship to escape her poison gas...he landed on a loose board of all things. He had fallen into the water beneath, and he expected to die. Fortunately, Julian did not die. Unfortunately, he would have to deal with something far deadlier; his mother, Longinus Niu. "Come on baby, just one." Akuji unknowingly reached out his arms while sleep and leaned forward. He was lying on his side and on the edge of the bed, and him leaning cause him to fall from it. He immediately jumped from the confines of the floor and stood up. He did not know if it was the fall or the events before he fell asleep, but he had a mind splitting headache. He held the area around his eye in pain. Legs.. was the first name to come to his mind. He figured they'd been taken captive, which would not be a surprise, but there was no barrier besides that of seastone that he thought could hold him. He looked around more and his hand dropped from his face in surprise. He was home. "Oh hell no..." He jumped back into bed, pretending to be sleep as he heard approaching footsteps. Julian sighed. It would be best to go and be punished now, rather than delay it. Thus, the man got off of his bed, beginning to clean himself up. Brush his teeth, take a shower and dress up. Soon, he was ready, and he began to make his way down the stairs. As he went down the hallway, he noticed Akuji still in his bed. "He'll be dealt with later." Marco thought to himself, casting aside the thoughts. Now downstairs, he realized that mother might be in the Throne Room. Taking a deep breath, he made his way over to the Throne Room, knocking at the entrance. It was Julian. Akuji had noted years ago that the pattern of sound that his brother's footsteps made were slower when nervous, for battle purposes of course. He heard his sibling's knock at the throne room and decided it'd be best to go ahead and follow suit. His personal attendant, Persephone, had bathed him while he was unconscious after she smelled a familiar scent that he gets after battle. He slipped on his shoes and hurried out of his door, slid down the railing of the staircase and was now behind his brother. The young prince waited for the doors of the throne room to open, which could possibly be the gateway to hell for him. The doors opened by two servants, as the brothers were allowed into the throne room where Niu sat in her lonesome, her Queen absent for the moment. She sat there patiently, her arms on the arm rests of her golden throne, before standing up, hands behind her back and held together "Well, good of you to show up." Niu said, walking towards her sons "A certain voracious woman of adequate looks has told me my two sons have, for reasons that escape me, attacked her ship, and eventually were knocked out." She gave a short summary of Legs' story. She stood a fair bit of distance between her sons and herself, rubbing her chin. "Before I come to any conclusions - additional or otherwise - I want you both to tell me your sides of the story. Or rather, try and explain yourselves. Justify your actions to me." Niu said to them both, gesturing with her open palm towards the two, giving them permission to speak.